Question 1

Why doesn't the verb نزل have a suffix at the end, unlike the verb رجعت?

Accepted Answer

The base form of a past tense verb is the "he" or "it (masculine)" form. Because المطر (the rain) is a masculine noun, we use this base form نزل (nazala) with no extra letters at the end. Suffixes are only added for other pronouns, like the ـت suffix for "I" in رجعت.

Question 2

Since short vowels aren't written here, how do I know رجعت means "I returned" and not "she returned"?

Accepted Answer

You have to rely on context! With short vowels, "I returned" is رجعتُ (raja'tu), "you (masculine) returned" is رجعتَ (raja'ta), and "she returned" is رجعتْ (raja'at). Without vowels, they all look identical (رجعت). The context of the sentence makes "I returned" the most logical translation here.

Question 3

Why does the sentence say نزل المطر (fell the rain) instead of المطر نزل (the rain fell)?

Accepted Answer

In Arabic, it is very common and natural to start a clause with the verb before the subject. This is known as a verbal sentence. While المطر نزل is grammatically fine, putting the verb first (نزل المطر) is the most standard word order in Modern Standard Arabic.

Question 4

Does the verb نزل always mean "fell"? I learned it as "to go down" or "to descend".

Accepted Answer

You learned it correctly! The root meaning of نزل is indeed to descend or go down. In English we say rain "falls" (like dropping an object), but in Arabic, precipitation "descends". So, نزل المطر literally means "the rain descended," which is the standard Arabic way to say "it rained."

فجأة، نزل المطر ورجعت إلى البيت.

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